Antique Scrimshaw Whale Tooth with Portrait of Young Lady

Antique Scrimshaw Whale Tooth with Portrait of Young Lady, circa 1880, an engraved full length portrait of a lovely young lady  wearing an 1870s -80s style satin hoop skirt with fitted bodice in front and full bustle in back, with a dainty shoe peaking out from beneath. She is holding a rose in one hand. and holding a sea shell to her ear with the other, clearly thinking of her beau at sea. The reverse is engraved with a dove holding a banner inscribed “Liberty,” amidst olive or tobacco branches, a gull in flight, and a clever border design. The sailor’s engraving is simple and untutored, but very effective and endearing.

The artwork remains clear and very legible, and the tooth remains in excellent condition.

This sailor’s folk art scrimshaw is engraved on the tooth of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), is well over 100 years old, is fully compliant with the Endangered Species Act (1973) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972), and is completely legal for interstate commerce under federal law.

Measures: 5-3/4 in H x 2-1/2 in W x 1-1/2 in Deep